From the Ashes
by Minami-san
Summary: Growing up, Milana wanted to explore beyond the stars she gazed at every night. With her childhood dream driving her, she joined the Galaxy Garrison with one goal in mind. The chance presented itself when she was selected to train for the biggest mission in Garrison history, to travel to Kerberos, the furthest travelled in space. And nothing will stop her from being number one.
1. One

**Hey! I am doing a new story. Highly irresponsible of me considering I am notoriously bad at updating everything else. They will be two parts to the story. This part is set pre-Kerberos and the lead up to the mission. This is kind of my way of letting Voltron live. I really loved the reboot despite the craziness of the fandom. the only negative I have was that it felt rushed and if they had like two more seasons could have really fleshed out some of the plot holes.**

 **Enjoy the first chapter, guys**

* * *

 _"The stars are so much more here than at home, Mama." The little girl pointed up at the night sky. Back at home, she was so used to the blackness being highlighted with only a few constellations but out here, the dark canopy was shining brightly with millions of lights, swirling and dancing into various patterns. The girl's mother laughed at her excitement._

 _"That's because there isn't any city lights to hide them. Out here, they can shine as brightly as they want. Let's help your dad set up." She nodded and ran ahead to meet her father at their caravan. Ever since she could remember, her parents would take her to various places to study the sky. She wasn't entirely sure what their work involved and half the time it sounded like her parents were speaking another language but she was always fascinated by the gadgets and machines they let her play with._

 _"What are we looking for today, Dad?" she asked as she climbed up into the trailers back._

 _"There is a very special comet that only shows once every 75 years and it will appear here tonight."_

 _"Cool!" Her eyes shone in excitement as she listened to him explain the comet's trajectory._

 _"Mija, come here." Her mother beckoned for her to come. "Take a seat, there's still time before it starts." She climbed onto the chairs that were set up and her mum handed her a tablet where they would log all the constellations they'd have seen. "Since we're far from home, there are a lot more new stars here. Like that one." She pointed up and her daughter aligned the tablet with it. It lit up beside the star with a speech bubble._

 _"Alpha Centauri," she read out slowly._

 _"That's one of the closest stars to Earth which is why it shines so bright. See that dimmer blue one? That's Beta Centauri and together they act as the Pointers. If you follow them down that way-" She guided her daughter's tablet slightly. "You'll find Crux."_

 _"Also known as the Southern Cross," she read out loud. "It's commonly used for navigation," her mother helped her read. The constellation glowed white, surrounded by colourful stars and contrasting dark nebulae_

 _"And there are some we can see at home Summer Triangle looks upside down and is called the Winter Triangle. Altair is on top, and Deneb and Vega sinking over time and there you can see Orion's sword pointing up toward Rigel instead." The two of them continued to explore the stars, marking each new thing they found. She excitedly pointed at the two glistening globular clusters, each holding hundreds of thousands of stars, resembling a geode that was cracked open. There was also a strange looking galaxy, as if it was all mixed up with a rainbow of colours. When she observed it with her binoculars it was actually two galaxies merging into a dusty bright spiral._

 _"And what about that one?" She pointed at a constellation far up in the sky. Twisting in her seat, she angled her tablet at it. "Fo.. ee… nix?" she pronounced haphazardly._

 _"Phoenix," her mother corrected. "It's a magical bird from ancient times. It's said that when a phoenix dies it bursts into flames." She gasped, mortified by the extreme death. Her mother chuckled. "It's OK. The phoenix is reborn from the ashes all brand new. It can now relive it's life again."_

 _"That's so cool. I want to be a phoenix."_

 _"You can be like one. It stands for renewal. That means overcoming darkness and rising to the occasion. It means not letting anything stand in your way. Whenever something goes wrong, you pick yourself up and keep going forward until you succeed. That is what it means to be a phoenix, mija." She kissed her hair. "And I know you are capable of anything you put your mind to." She stood up and held her arms out. "Come on, let's see what your dad is doing." She latched onto her mother and climbed up onto her shoulders, burying her nose into her hair and indulging in its comforting scent._

* * *

It took three years in the Academy and three of tertiary training, doing menial space missions and dealing with whiny cadets, before Milana Ross had her time to shine. She had given up on relationships, cut most friends off and even made a few 'enemies' along the way. But none of that mattered now.

Soon, she will find out if all of that was worth it or if it was in vain. One click was standing between her and her dream since she could remember, ever since her parents introduced her into the world of astronomy. She wanted to dive head first into the unknown and unexplored world beyond this small blue planet. One click was going to determine if she was going to make history.

"Can you just open the email?" Her soliloquy was interrupted. "You've been staring at the screen with that dead face of yours." Milana turned in her chair to glare at her roommate, Quinn who was frowning at her. "What does it say?" Sighing, Milana opened the email and began to read it out loud.

"Dear Miss Ross,

"We are writing to inform you that, based on the performance you've displayed as both a pilot and supervising officer, you have selected as a potential candidate for the Kerberos mission. Training will commence next week." The rest of the email contained forms she need to fill in beforehand and instructions for the first meeting.

"Oh, my God! Congrats, Mila." Quinn hugged her from behind. "All that antisocial, nerdy behaviour finally paid off." She pulled away when she noticed there was no response from Milana. "And why aren't you smiling?"

"Because I haven't got anything yet. The email said I'm one of the candidates. Until I have beat them and get to head this mission, I have nothing to smile about." She stood up and grabbed the documents that printed out. Holding a pen between her teeth, she read through the forms.

Not liking that she was ignored, Quinn spoke up. "You are going to die alone."

"As long as I am successful, that's fine with me. People suck. Minus you," she added hastily and blew her a kiss before leaving so she would have to endure another lecture about how unhealthy her behaviour was.

She walked down the near deserted halls to the office of the Head of Exploration, the only sound was the receding footsteps of others. She turned the corner and checked to see if anyone was around. Confirming that the coast was clear, Milana's normally straight expressionless face changed into an uncharacteristic wide grin.

She broke into a small yet enthusiastic celebratory dance, quietly squealing and jumping around. She did it, she finally did it. She could feel her cheeks straining from how much she was smiling. Holding the folder under her arm, she took a step forward and pumped her fist. Fists still raised, she caught her reflection in a nearby glass cabinet. Holding in a laugh at her now dishevelled curls, Milana flattened her hair and tucked it back and continued on her way. Finally making it to the office, it seemed that no one else was there.

Good, she thought, hoping that this put her ahead of the other candidates. She raised her fist and knocked on the opaque stained glass thrice. A voice from inside commanded her to enter, the door automatically sliding open. Expecting to be the only one there, Milana was not prepared to see another supervising officer there. Her face flickered with irritation as she approached the desk, realising she wasn't the first one.

The room had both Commanders Mitch Iverson and Linda Jiang, the latter being the head of the department. Beside them was Professor Samuel Holt, someone who's work she had studied from beginning to end. She found his unconventional ways something she connected with from a young age and his keen interest in extraterrestrial lifeforms was a passion she shared with him. The last person in the room, the source of her annoyance, she recognised instantly.

Takashi Shirogane. He was two years above her when she was a cadet and was hailed to be one of the best pilots the Garrison had ever produced. Handsome and naturally gifted, he had broken every record in place when he was merely a teenager. People either wanted him or wanted to be him.

During her cadet years, he was her senior. He had mentored her and a couple of other teams and she did once look up to him. However when she graduated, realised the hard truth. When it came to missions and records, she had always come close but never actually surpassed him. People would congratulate her for getting close but all that did was rub salt in the wound. Even with missions, she had missed out on chances by a hair's breadth to him.

If she had a list of people she want to beat, he was on top. Milana was prideful and Takashi Shirogane hurt that pride. Dispelling all negative thoughts, she stepped up beside him and gave her superiors a salute. She glanced up at Shirogane who flashed her a welcoming smile.

Ugh… stop trying to be so likable.

"Wow, look at you two being keen beans. It's always the younger ones who are the keen ones." Professor Holt stepped out of the line and approached the two officers. He stopped in front of Shirogane first. Extending his hands and clasping them both around Shirogane's, Holt shook them vigorously. "It is not a surprise to see you here, Shiro. Such a gifted pilot, one might call you a genius." Milana felt slightly jealous at the familiarity between Holt and Shirogane.

"Please, sir. That's too much." Milana wanted to roll her eyes. This man had the goody two shoes act pat down. One of the many things that pissed her off was geniuses, especially the ones who pretended they were like 'everyone else'.

"And you must be Milana Ross." Holt shook her hand with the same vigor. "I had the pleasure of working with your father on several research projects. How is Michael doing?"

"He's well, I haven't spoke to him in a while." She squeezed his hands and leaned forwards. "I have read all your papers, Professor Holt. It's amazing to finally meet the man behind such brilliant work."

"Aww, thank you." He scratched his cheek in embarrassment.

"My favourite was the one about the reinstatement of Pluto as a planet. Despite having a few others against your theory, the information was sound and made a lot more sense than other papers I read. The detail you go in about it all is superb. You mentioned how Pluto is technically gravitationally dominant as its orbit isn't controlled by Neptune as once believed because of the better imaging taken, showing a more accurate time lapse of her orbit rather than relying on predictions which tend to have a margin of error."

She paid no regard to the others as she continued chattering. "I also love how you believe we are not alone in the universe. If there is humans existing, why stop there? My biggest dream is to meet an alien lifeform and study their culture and lifestyle. Like how different would they be from us. If we strip them down to the bare necessities, are they like us?" Milana couldn't contain her excitement. Samuel Holt was someone she always wanted to meet and finding out this was his expedition made her want it even more.

"It's amazing to see someone so young interested in what I do. The only kids I find into this are my own and even they get bored of hearing me talk. If you ever want to discuss this further, come stop by my lab."

"I would love to."

"I seems like we are getting off track here." Commander Jiang spoke up and gestured for Holt to return to her side. "It's nice to see you two so enthusiastic about the program. The next few months will involve the three of us assessing your skills as a pilot and a leader in different scenarios and how well you do in each situation. At the end of the trial, one of you will be selected to join Professor Holt and his son on the mission to Kerberos. It will be the first time humans will be able travel that fat into space and one of you will be a part of this historical moment."

"Thank you for this opportunity, Commander." She gave him her best professional smile. "I look forward to starting next week."

"Me too," Shirogane added from beside her, making it very difficult for her not to roll her eyes. It was already irritating enough to be standing beside someone who was considered to be a prodigy. She could feel Iverson's attention turning more to Shirogane than herself as he spoke. "I am honoured to be included in this. I will do everything in my power to prove myself to you."

"Excellent," Jiang clapped her hands together. "Thank you for the forms and I'll see you on Monday for the first briefing. You are dismissed" They both saluted and left the office. Not having any plans for the day, Milana was contemplating whether she should get some early practice in the fight simulator, familiarise herself with it again. It had been a while since she used it herself. She also needed to inform her commanding officer that she wouldn't be as available to help supervise the cadets, Making a mental checklist for the rest of her day, she started to go back the way she came.

"Milana, right?" Turning around, she saw Shirogane smiling at her. She nodded. "We've met as cadets. Takashi Shirogane." She stared at his outstretched hand before clasping her own around it, returning the shake.

Assert your dominance through a firm shake, she thought, as she squeezed his hand hard before letting go. She smiled to herself as she noticed Shirogane acknowledge her power move.

"Milana Ross. You have to be living under a rock to not know the great Takashi Shirogane." She was surprised to see him looking bashful when she said that.

"Yeah, it's embarrassing," he chuckled awkwardly. "I heard you have nickname too. Ice Queen, wasn't it?"

She frowned. She was given that name in her first year as a cadet partially because of her cold demeanour and partially due to an altercation with a classmate within the first semester. As revenge, she always made sure her mark was always above his by a hair's breathe, 'freezing' him place. She only did that because he was being a dick and not only to her but other cadets, someone had to show him his place. She hated the name, it made her seem ruthless and unloving, but she used it to her advantage.

"Well, it must mean you were a force to be reckoned with." She raised her head and watched him smile gently at her. "All the good pilots get nicknames and you know you must be really good out you get one that scares others."

She arched an eyebrow. This was not what she expected. Typically the top male pilots had this air of arrogance to them that infuriated her but it seemed that Shirogane retained the kind helpful personality he had when they were cadets.

"You're too nice." The thought was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Her eyes widened slightly as she tried to keep her composure, pretending what she said was a normal response.

Shirogane laughed. "I was just telling you the truth." He glanced at his watch. "It was good to meet you. I'll see you next week, and nice dance before." He gave her a wink and jogged down the hall, leaving Milana frozen there.

* * *

 **Milana's personality is very hot and cold. While writing her, she even confused me. Hopefully, you guys enjoy this story. It is pretty fun planning the pre-Kerberos storyline since we didn't get much of it in the canon. It will be fun to create something with such little cannon information.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the first chapter,  
** **Minami**


	2. Two

**Hey, fam. Here is chapter two and we are diving straight into some Kerberos training. I hurried to get this chapter out because I won't have the next chapter ready for several weeks. Got some real life things happening.**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

In life, one experiences a lot of firsts. First words, first step, first day of school, first relationship. Today, Milana was going to experience another first. It was her first day towards becoming the first woman, no the first person to travel the furthest in space. The coming weeks were her one chance to make a great first impression. She had woke up a lot early than she did and got herself ready for the day, instead out rolling out of bed and rushing around for ten minutes like she normally did. She adjusted her uniform and pinned her curls up into a braided bun, trying to embody the definition of professional. She left her room to go find something to eat.

"Looking noice," Quinn whistled from the kitchen when Milana emerged. "It's actually nice to see you awake at a normal time and not being a tornado." She handed her a cup of coffee and went to get her breakfast. "I can feel the excitement coming off of you," She placed a bowl in front of Milana and sat across from her, smiling.

"Can you not do that with your face?" she muttered as she reached out for a spoon.

"Smiling. I'm proud of you. You have been wanting this since you came into the Garrison. Is this what parenthood feels like?" Quinn clutched her heart and let out dramatic sigh. Milana chuckled at her friend's antics before turning back to her breakfast. She frowned as she stared at the bowl.

"Quinn… what is this purple sludge with fruits on it?"

"It's an acai bowl. Or is it pronounced a-shay? I have no idea. Hazel taught me how to make it. They are actually really nice."

"Ah, the paleo girlfriend. How's that working out?"

"Supes well. The only difference we have is our feasting habits. She has some sweet dishes she makes. I should get her to cook for you." Milana tried the dish and to her surprise it tasted delicious, despite its strange mauve colouring. As she enjoyed her breakfast, Quinn reached out and grabbed Milana's face. "I'm so excited for you." She squeezed her head against her chest, hindering her ability to eat. She let go and patted her friend's head. "So have you met any of the candidates yet?" Milana paused mid bite for a split second before continuing her breakfast, which didn't go unnoticed by her "OK, what was that?"

"What was what?" Milana asked nonchalantly as she continued to enjoy her breakfast.

"You know what. You made a face when I asked about the others." Quinn placed her mug down and laced her fingers together before resting her chin against them. "Who did you meet?" Milana remained tight lipped and that was enough for her friend to guess. "Ooohh, I know." A giant grin took over her face as she clapped excitedly. "It's Shiro." Milana let out an exasperated sigh.

"How did you know?" She wrinkled her nose in annoyance.

"Other than me." Quinn flicked her hair off her shoulder with a prideful smirk. "The only other person you paid attention to was Shiro." Milana closed her eyes and let her head drop. "Aww, come on. You used to look up to him when we were cadets." Her voice increased an octave. "It was always 'Wow, Shirogane broke this record!', 'Did you see the way he maneuvers? Amazing!' and "Shirogane is so nice.". I swear you had heart eyes any time he walked by. Then you started hating on him for no reason."

"Because he always gets the missions I want. And I don't _hate_ him. I just want to beat him." She clutched her fist in determination. "This time I will." Quinn downed the rest of her coffee and hugged Milana again, squeezing her skull until she pinched her forearm to get her to let go.

"I will need a blow-by-blow commentary of everything when you get back," she called out and grabbed her things. "Enjoy your first day and be nice to the other kids." Milana waved to her retreating back.

When she was done with breakfast, Milana made her way to the training room where she was to meet Shirogane and the rest of the candidates and were to be briefed about the oncoming weeks in the program. She walked down the hallways, passing other officers who were either on their way to teach classes or cadets dreading said classes. Not missing any of that, she smiled to herself and turned the corner to find Shirogane coming from the other side. Panicking slightly, she spun on her foot and tried to find somewhere to hide, not wanting to engage in petty small talk. The hallway was bare and the next corner was too far for her. Swearing under her breath, her shoulders slumped when she heard him call out to her.

"Hey, Milana." She turned around and gave him a half wave. He asked her how she was doing and she gave him an awkward 'OK'. She didn't really like to interact with anyone other than Quinn. It unnerved her slightly that there were some people who generally wanted to converse with others without any ulterior motive.

Luckily for her, Shirogane was doing most of the talking. She wasn't really paying attention as they walked to the briefing together. She was thinking about how to maximise her potential in the coming weeks.

Usually with long missions like this, they assess and train a small group for a couple months before selecting the best. That person continues to have more rigorous training for up to two years depending on the mission. If anything happens to the first choice that renders them unable to go forward, the second best is selected from the initial training to replace them.

"Milana?" Hearing her name snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Huh?" She gazed up at him frowning slightly.

"I asked if you have been on many missions." Shirogane was smirking at her confused expression. Regaining her composure, she answered his question.

"I've been on my fair share, prefer solo mission. I work best alone. No one getting in my way or me having to explain myself."

"I don't think I could do solo missions. The quiet would kill me."

"That's what I love about them." She smiled slightly as she thought about it. "Nothing but you and the stars. It really gives you time to think and really appreciate the beauty of it all. But Flight Command isn't too keen on them so I usually pair with my only roommate. Everyone else is too annoying." Milana surprised herself by how much she was speaking to him.

It reminded her of when she first met Shirogane when they were all green behind the ears. Back then, she was eager for the attention of a senior cadet, all the junior cadets were. She used to catch him at any opportunity she could get with a reluctant Quinn trailing behind her and tried to gain enough confidence to strike up a conversation. She wondered if he remembered her from all this years ago. He did mentor a lot of her peers so she doubted he would be able to pick her out from them.

"I remember you used to talk for ages about the constellations and the mythology behind them." Now, that took her by surprise. She recalled doing that with Quinn when they had their study sessions and her friend chastising her to focus on the syllabus. Noticing her confusion, he answered her. "You mentioned it in passing once when I was helping out with your flight group." She nodded in understanding. "You also mentioned how dumb astrology was and anyone who believed in it had a special place in Hell."

"That sounds like me." She placed her hand over her mouth to hide her smile. It seemed that he did remember her. "Still think anyone who places their fate in sparkly mumbo jumbo are idiots. You control your own life."

"Wise words." He nodded in appreciation as they entered the briefing room.

Milana scanned the room. White tiles spread across the floor and there was an opaque glass door that lead to another place. There were a total of eight people including herself and Shirogane. She was surprised to realise she was the only female there. Most of the other candidates were years older than her, and had experience that was more than the time she had spent at the Garrison as both a cadet and a supervising officer.

She saw a supervisor at the front typing away at his computer with as people checked in. She followed after Shirogane and dropped her name and officer ID number. With a curt nod from the man, she decided to wait against the wall alone. She watched Shirogane greet some of the other candidates and engage in small talk. She only knew them by face and there were a couple of famous names there.

With the missions she had previously gone on, the job was offered to her and after a couple months of training, she was sent to space for the required time. She had always accompanied Quinn on a her engineering missions for various satellites and telescopes. She was lucky to have such a high ranking engineer prefer her. Other missions were harder to obtain because of her cold demeanor and history as a cadet. A lot of other officers distrusted her because she tended not to follow their instruction.

The last time she was on a long haul mission, they had unexpectedly ran into an asteroid belt. Milana had kicked the head pilot out of his seat and took over command. Even though she was right and they were able to get out unscathed, the disobedience left a mark on her reputation. She was banned from missions longer than a few days and was sent to train the cadets. She had been trying to fix it, at Quinn's nagging, by being a model officer. Today was the first time she was accepted for a high ranking mission in over a year.

Milana noticed the supervisor enter in the middle of the room and call for everyone's attention. She jogged up and stood beside Shirogane and listened intently. She was ready to prove herself worthy.

"Welcome, officers. Today marks the first day of your training for the Kerberos mission. You will all have to do a series of training for the next few weeks specifically prepared for the mission." The supervisor's voice reverberated in the tiled room.

Each time a pilot was selected for a mission, they had to go through rigorous training designed specifically for the mission. Most training include flight and vehicle training of the transport they would be using, motion sickness training and they had to be familiar with the equipment and communications device used in the mission. Since this was going to be the furthest anyone has travelled, a lot of the equipment being used was different from the ones commonly available.

"You will be ranked each week and by the end of the program," the supervisor continued. "You will all be fully equipped to be pilots for the mission but only one of you will be given that opportunity. The lucky one out of you will then commence a more intense training regime for the mission. Good luck and make the Garrison proud." They all saluted the supervisor and proceeded to pull a number from the box, indicating their position in line for the first series of tests. Milana pulled her ticket out and a bold number four was printed on it.

 _Nice, middle of the pack,_ she thought as she took her place back in line between a silent burly man with a dark buzzcut and Shirogane. The man towered over her, giving her a curt nod before facing the front. She glanced at Shirogane who caught her eye and gave her a wink.

The supervisor continued to explain what today was to be about. "You all have submitted you medical assessments prior to be selected but will need to check up with the medics once a week to ensure you are still fit to participate. Today we will do the initial fitness assessment to gauge where everyone is and proceed from there. Find your pairs, they are in numerical order. One with two, three with four and so one."

"What number are you?" She felt Shirogane's shadow loom over her. She marvelled at his height, sure he had grown a foot since last seeing him. Milana herself was tall but he still towered a whole head over her.

She unfolded her paper and showed him the bold '4' printed on it. A smile spread across his face and he help up his own card.

Three.

"Looks like we're partners."

"Please don't say partners. It sounds too..." She made a face and Shirogane chuckled . The two went off ahead to the first station to start their fitness assessment.

* * *

 **Shiro in my story is going to be an amplyfied version of his joking side (like with the whole laser gun thing and that time he taught Keith how to nose dive off a cliff). I feel like his experience with the Galra hardened him so pre Kerberos Shiro is a little cheeky and fun loving. Hopefully I can do the man justice.**

 **I'll see you guys for the next chapter. Don't forget to review, I would love to hear your thoughts.  
Minami**


	3. Three

Physical fitness has always been very important for space exploration. It was the first thing that was assessed before starting any mission. Since the human body was not designed to spend weeks without gravity, several catastrophic changes would occur. Blood volume dropped dramatically which gave the heart reduced blood to pump and in turn weakened it. As a result, stamina was next to decline followed closely by aerobic and anaerobic fitness, muscular strength and bone density. Those few weeks in space could make the body atrophy as if it had been in a coma.

Body fluids would pool to the extremities which caused swelling and crippling headaches. Spinal fluid can change the shape of the eyeball and cause nerve swelling and visually changes. To ensure that the risk to the body is minimised when on these long missions, all candidates had to go through rigorous training for a few months. The person selected continued on with a more intense regime to guarantee they were in top condition before being sent off to space.

Contrary to her unperturbed and indifferent personality, Milana loved to exercise. One reason was being in peak physical condition made her more favourable for missions and the other being she loved the way it focused her mind. It was the only time she was in complete control and she loved how powerful it made her feel. She loved the dormant strength that slept inside her and pounced out when she needed it, scaring her opponents.

At age five, she started taekwondo after months of begging her parents. By the time she was 12, she had passed her Cho Dan black belt being the youngest to do so in her dojang. Even after leaving home, she always made a conscious effort to maintain her fitness and strength. She would always be at the Garrison gym in the early hours of the morning and late at night when it was unoccupied, practising what her old trainers taught her.

They approached another instructor and each candidate was handed a Garrison issued activewear, trainers and a fitness watch to record their vitals and exercises. They were advised to change into them to begin their fitness assessment. She thanked one of the assistants and followed the directions to the women's changing rooms. She removed her officer's uniform and placed it into the locker provided.

Once she was changed into the steel grey leggings with orange and white accents and orange t-shirt, she packed her shoes and tightened the laces. She bounced on her toes and kicked out her legs, enjoying the feel of it against her skin. She checked herself out in the mirror before leaving to join the other candidates for further instruction.

The first day was fairly simple. Each pair were to perform a series of exercises which were expertly selected to measure the five components of fitness: body composition, flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, and cardiorespiratory endurance. Body composition was already performed for the medical assessment the week prior, leaving 4 stations. They were each assigned a station that had an officer there to record their results. She stood beside Shirogane who too was wearing the same t-shirt and joggers.

"Welcome to your first station." The examiner gave them both a welcoming smile and gestured to stand to the left of the orange mats on the floor. "This station will test your muscular endurance. It has three stages; abdominal strength, upper body strength, and handgrip strength." She pulled out her stylus from the cover and woke the tablet up. "We will start with the abdominal strength test. Who would like to start?" Milana and Shirogane exchanged glances as if in a silent competition to decide who would go first. Shirogane caved first.

"I guess I will." He stepped forward and sat on the mat.

 _One-nil to Ross_. It was barely a victory but Milana's competitive side was already bubbling up.

"This test will record how many sit-ups you can perform in a minute. It determines both your lower back and abdominal strength, which is important for core stability. I assume you both know what to do here."

"Yes, ma'am," they announced in unison. She nodded and inputted Shirogane's details.

"On my count, you will begin to perform as many full sit-ups as you can. The technique is more important than skill. Any incomplete or poorly performed sit-ups will be deducted from your final total. Please synchronise your watch and select option 2, Officer Shirogane." He nodded and got into position while fiddling with his fitness watch. She gazed at her own watch and marvelled at how elaborate they were. The last time she wore one was over a year ago and it surprised her how much she had forgotten about it.

"Want to make things interesting?" Milana's ears perked up and she gazed away from her wrist to a smiling Shirogane below her.

"I'm listening..."

"Whoever performs the highest overall can claim an IOU from the loser."

"I am considering." She looked up in thought. Having Takashi Shirogane owe her something sounded amazing. What would she get him to do? Maybe she could spend a day with him and pick his brain, learn his secrets and use them to surpass him. Once everyone saw that she was the better pilot, the offers would come flooding in. A sadistic grin spread across her face. "I agree."

"That smile is a bit unnerving." His wariness made her grin more.

"Let's have some ground rules. There is no limit on the IOU, it can be called on at any time and lasts for 24 hours. The winner is determined by the total number of exercises won. Deal?"

"Is this something you have been wanting?" he questioned. "Because you had that plan ready and waiting."

"I've received my fair share of IOU's. Do you agree?" He nodded and they shook hands. Shirogane got back into position and the examiner started the timer.

It was hard not to be impressed by the fluidity of his movement. Milana watched in awe as he controlled his breathing and continuously moved up and down. His abdominal muscles relaxed and contracted beneath the tight fitting shirt and she found it slightly hard to look away. Before she knew it, the minute was up and Shirogane had performed 47 sit-ups.

"It is a fair amount less than your previous results but it is above average." She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Your personal best was 52." Milana whistled in admiration as Shirogane got up and she replaced him on the mat.

"Maybe this bet will be easier to win," she commented as she set up her watch. She waited for the instructor to count down so she could start.

Since Milana was benched from going on long haul missions for a year, she had copious amounts of extra time. She had spent the majority of her suspension improving her fitness and performing basic drills that they usually did for mission training. On top of joining Quinn on her repair missions, she had also performed at least ten hours per week of flight simulation training and was familiar with every possible type of spacecraft in the Garrison. So when she got this offer, she knew she was the best candidate for it.

"And time." Milana stopped mid sit-up and stretched out her legs. She looked over her shoulder and gave Shirogane a knowing grin. If her internal count was correct, she had round one in the bag. She stood up and adjusted her shirt while the instructor calibrated her results.

"Congratulations, Officer Ross. You completed 48 reps and surpassed your personal best. Now let's move on."

The next test was to measure the maximum amount of pushups they could do before breaking form. Shirogane had easily surpassed Milana in this one. She hated push-ups. It made her feel off balance and she felt it was an unnecessary exercise to do.

The final muscle endurance test was the handgrip strength test. It measured the maximum isometric strength of the hand and forearm muscles. Since this was a research mission, special equipment was required and they tended to have a lot of levers and required a certain amount of hand strength to maintain stability.

They each had to squeeze a handgrip dynamometer in each hand and maintain the same grip for five seconds before the measurement was taken. She surprised both Shirogane and the examiner when her right and left hand read exactly 55 kilograms.

"Beat that, Shirogane." She tossed him the device and wiped her hands with the towels provided. He nodded with a straight face and adjusted his hand over the handle and squeezed. His results were ten kilograms more than her own.

Milana furrowed her brow in frustration and folded her arms across her chest. She watched him intently as he switched to his left hand and burst out laughing at how pathetic the difference off. Her laughter didn't die down as Shirogane placed the device down and as they moved on to the next one.

"The first time I see you laugh is at my expense." He frowned at her as they approached the next station.

"I enjoy others' failures." She laughed again at his pout. "I did not expect your hand to be that weak. How did you only get 30 kilos on your left hand? That is pitiful."

"Stop it." She held her hand over her mouth and nodded, tears glistening in her eyes. "Maybe we can call the hand grip a tie then. Why did you get the same result for both hands?" Milana had finally regained her composure.

"My mother's ambidextrous because she was left-handed," she explained. "I thought it was cool that it didn't matter what hand she used so I decided to train myself to be like her."

"That's impressive." He nodded in admiration.

"Not really. To be honest, I think it is a waste that we rely on one side of our body. I'm surprised the human race has gotten this far considering how useless we are in comparison to other living organisms."

"Were you always this..?" He paused, searching for the right word.

"Pessimistic?" she filled in. Shirogane laughed at her choice of phrase. "Quinn always calls me that. I call it being realistic. Anatomically, compared to other organisms, humans suck and we should find a way to genetically enhance ourselves."

Before he could ask her more about her bizarre thought process, Milana stumbled backwards. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from falling on the floor. She stood up and muttered her thanks to him.

"Oh, didn't see you there." A lanky blonde man, five years her senior, sneered at her before sauntering off with his companion. Anger welled inside her as she flipped him off with both hands. An immature move but it was all she could come up with at the moment.

"Milana?" Shirogane's smooth voice interrupted her vengeful thoughts. "What is with you and Erikson?"

"We have some history." By history, she had humiliated him in front of his entire crew by kicking him out of his seat and proving to be the better pilot. As revenge, he got her suspended from future long haul missions for her 'insolence'.

A tiny part of her thought it was worth it. She couldn't put a price on the horrified look of embarrassment he wore when a teenage girl dragged him out of his captain's seat and saved his entire team. And she couldn't wait to see him have that same expression when she destroyed him again. Smug satisfaction spread across her lips, unnerving Shirogane.

"Milana?" he called out to her warily. She gave him a curt nod and pointed in the distance.

"We should start the next test." She walked on ahead, this new found determination fueling her.

The next skill requiring testing was flexibility, split into three groups; sit and reach test, trunk rotation. Milana proved to be the winner of this test. Shirogane's larger build played against him and even though his score was above average, Milana was extremely flexible. She couldn't help but grin at his shortcomings.

"Stop laughing."

"I'm not." Her smile widened at his pout. "Ok, I'm sorry. It's not your fault that you suck." Shirogane glared at her. "You should spend less time building giant muscles-" she gestured to his body. "-And more time on stretching, you would have beat me." Milana furrowed her brow when Shirogane smirked.

"Have you been checking out my 'giant muscles'?" She let out a groan and rolled her eyes as he laughed.

"All I know is I am winning and I can't wait to have you owe me."

"How are you winning?"

"I got more in sit-ups, while you won the push-ups." Milana counted on her hand. "The handgrip was a mess and to save you from embarrassment-"

"'Save me'?"

She ignored his disbelief and dismissed him with a raised hand. "Your pathetic left-hand performance was an embarrassment so best to call that a tie. And since I have proven to be better here, I have taken the lead 2-1. If I win the next one…" Her grin widened. "I'll have the great Takashi Shirogane owe me _anything_."

"Has anyone ever told you how evil you are?"

"I've been called worse." She shrugged and walked on ahead to their next station. The examiner explained this station was to measure cardiorespiratory endurance which checks how well the heart, blood vessels, and lungs deliver oxygen to the functioning muscles. Shirogane was only half listening as he stared past the examiner.

The man that pushed Milana over was in the station beside them. He remembered Erikson from a couple of missions they shared. He looked down at Milana who was setting up the machine, wondering what relationship the two had. She said there was history but what went so wrong for him to dislike her like that. Shirogane heard that Milana had just come out of suspension from the other candidates but not the details of it.

"Yo, Shirogane." He blinked and noticed Milana was frowning at him. "Stop looking like you're high and help me get this in place."

She held up the mask to her mouth while he secured it behind her head. She climbed onto the treadmill that the examiner had just finished setting up and started riding it. The treadmill increased in intensity every couple of minutes and the mask measured the gas concentration as she breathed, while the watch she wore measured her heart rate. The two measurements were to be used to calculate the maximum oxygen consumption which was the best indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness.

Sweat beaded on her forehead as she ran faster, her long legs almost overtaking the machine. The mask condensed with her rapid breathing while she maintained a steady pace, despite the change in intensity. Milana turned to the side and noticed Shirogane watching her intensely. A smirk crept on her lips as she winked at him before increasing her pace to rile him up.

The examiner signalled the end of time and Milana slowed down to a halt. She stepped off the treadmill and grabbed a towel from the side. She wiped the sweat from her face before turning to the examiner.

"How did I do?" she asked, looking the most eager she did all day.

"Your VO2 max value is 43, which is well above average for your age group. Well done, Officer Ross."

"Beat that." She grinned at Shirogane before dropping her towel and mask into the 'used' basket, in a mic drop fashion. He grabbed a new mask and Milana helped him secure it in place. She watched him intently as he started to run. Shirogane was doing very well and she regretted being cocky. He climbed off the treadmill and tossed him a towel, both of them eagerly waiting for the results.

"Officer Shirogane's VO2 is 50." He turned around and Milana made a face.

"I guess I did 'beat that'." He folded his arms and grinned at her. "I guess the last test would be the decider."

"Nope." Milana shook her head. "I disagree."

"You're just a sore loser," Shirogane teased and Milana ignored him. She went up to the examiner.

"Obviously, the number shouldn't be taken at face value since there is a clear difference in our muscle mass and body structure."

"Well, to be comparable…" The examiner checked her tablet. "Technically, Officer Ross has a better overall when we compare body composition and gender." Milana's smirk grew wider as she turned to face Shirogane.

"I win, Shirogane. I guess _you owe me._ " She poked his chest with each word, much to his dismay. "I will cash in that favour at a later date." She couldn't stop grinning as they went to their last station.

* * *

 **This chapter took forever to write. Mostly because I spent day researching and reading up on space exploration and the fitness training required. The medical stuff was fun because I understood it from my uni days. But the fitness was a doozy. Maybe being in Australia restricted my access, but it was hard to find like a solid guide to I had to pick bits and pieces from all over to create a version of assessment for the Garrison.**

 **This has a lot of admin like stuff- getting from A to B for the sake of the story. And it is a bit longer than I initially intended it to be but didn't want to spend ages on the basic things. I tried to fun it up with some Shiro and Milana interactions and also some background on Milana.**

 **Thanks for your patience**

 **Minami**


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